NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007 25
● Swede dreams... Alongside in Gothenburg ahead of Noble Mariner are (L-R) HMS Manchester, RFA Mounts Bay and Largs Bay, HMS Roebuck, HMS Albion, BNS Godetia and ENS
Admiral Pitka Picture: PO(Phot) Brad Bradbury, NATO Northwood
This Noble adventure
NEVER have the Allied nations
“It’s interesting being at sea,” says
THE N
ATO R
esponse
of the Western World been more
THE largest combined air, sea and ground force mustered by Allied General van Diepenbrugge. “But it’s not
Force is a relativ
ready to strike resolutely, with
nations this year gathered in the waters between Denmark, Sweden,
easy. We get seasick. We just take pills.”
f
el
or
y new
mation, bor
His experience at sea has been eye-
n of the Allied
forces’ need to
purpose, with punch than at this
Germany and Poland to prove it was capable of responding to a
opening for other reasons, too.
fi nd a fresh
role in the post-Cold W
moment.
major international crisis under the banner of NATO’s Response
“Why doesn’t every ship have a
world.
ar
For the sword of NATO is currently at
Force. RICHARD HARGREAVES reports on the opening stage of bright operations room?” he asks. Why
For f
our deca
its sharpest, the warrior brandishing it Exercise Noble Mariner in Denmark.
indeed…
des, Britain,
German
y, the US and other
at his leanest, his most alert, his skills
De Ruyter – “the pearl of the Dutch
friendl
y po
honed almost to perfection.
Navy” says her captain – is an impressive
wers sat and
waited f
or the R
Why? Because the ‘sword’ – the NATO
NAS and their Bagger Sea Kings.
Cdo set up shop on the former ahead of
ship, a glimpse into tomorrow’s Navy.
ed Bear to
come… onl
Response Force or NRF – has been put
Working with Allies brings a whole new
the amphibious phase of the exercise.
There are wide passageways, bright
y (mercifull
didn’t.
y) he
through its sternest test from the grey,
dimension to military operations.
In simple terms, the Royals are Largs
operations rooms, silos fi lled with
So what does the
murky waters of the Kattegat to the
There are no, or rather few, language
Bay’s ‘weapons system’, thrust ashore
surface-to-air missiles.
combined air
shores of Pomerania and the sweeping
barriers: English, fortunately for us, is the
on her landing craft or by helicopter.
There’s a female CO too,
, sea and land
might of 26 Allied nations
Bay of Gdansk.
language of NATO.
“What do we think of this
Kapiteinluitenant-ter-zee (Commander)
now do?
More than 10,000 sailors, soldiers and
Other barriers prove more challenging.
ship?” Lt Col Mark Searight, Largs Bay’s
Jeanette Morang; women have been
Why,
it combines to f
airmen from 19 friendly nations took part
As a confederacy of 26 nations, NATO has
amphibious operations offi cer asks
going to see in the Royal Netherlands
an inter
or
national f
m
in the trinity of Noble Mariner (the naval
26 different armies, navies and air forces,
rhetorically. “We like it. It’s modern,
Navy for slightly longer than in the RN.
for good, a sor
orce
element), Noble Award (air) and Kindred
all with slightly different traditions, ways
spacious, there’s a fab gym and great
Nevertheless Cdr Morang is the fi rst
t of g
John Harv
lobal
ey
Sword (ground), a trinity intended to test
of working and equipment.
fl ight deck for keeping fi t.
female captain of a frigate in her navy’s
-Jones whic
could be called upon to
h
the response force’s readiness for a true
The front end, the ships launching
“It’s been built ergonomically – there’s
illustrious history and the Dutch press
troubleshoot in hotspots
deployment.
helicopters and jets or pummelling
easy access, doors you can fi t through.
made a fuss accordingly. by enf
orcing embar
We are, as is our wont, interested in
ground positions with their guns, the
It’s infi nitely better than what has gone
In her ship there are traditions and evacuating civilians, sabre
goes,
Noble Mariner, not least because the
marines and soldiers storming ashore,
before.”
traits many RN men and women would rattling to k
Royal Navy provided the largest single
the aircraft sending bombs spinning into
Lt Col Searight and his chief assault
instantly recognise. The uniforms, for
eep tyrants
in chec
k, or providing
presence – and because it was in charge
enemy bunkers grab the headlines – and
guide WO2 Dai Charles work out the
a start, are remarkably similar to the humanitarian aid af
from HMS Ark Royal.
the glory – but it’s the less sexy aspects
minutiae of putting ashore 360 green
Senior Service. There are days set aside disaster
ter a
.
It’s one of the biggest naval force
which ensure success.
berets with all the right kit in the right
for specifi c meals: fi sh on a Friday,
As of y
et, the NRF has
Britain has mustered in recent years and
Key to Noble Mariner is logistics, the
order.
Indonesian (given Holland’s colonial past) not been called upon in
it has offered the RN vessels involved
tail behind the teeth. The RN traditionally
For the big picture you have to hop
on a Wednesday. a real crisis, but then it
a double training opportunity: realistic,
relies on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary for
across to the Dutch air defence frigate
And there are some things typically onl
y offi
ciall
large-scale operations, with the added
most of its support needs, and the RFA is
HNLMS De Ruyter – a sort of Netherlands
Dutch. There is a galley and a bakery,
y stood up last
autumn.
bonus of working side-by-side with a
here on Noble Mariner in force.
Type 45 – where Lt Gen Tony van
where the baker prepares seven varieties
“The NRF is not a
multitude of nationalities.
But as an international operation,
Diepenbrugge and his staff direct ground
of bread. g
lint in the ey
Ten nationalities, to be precise, as
the task force is making use of an
operations on a huge scale from a
And sprinkled liberally around the ship
e of N
headq
ATO
uarters in Br
far as the naval element is concerned,
international supply chain.
makeshift command centre.
are condom dispensers. Well, I suppose It’s a v
ussels.
ery real f
under the direction of Rear Admiral Neil
“People have to be fed, water, food
A myriad of laptops operated by a
you should always be ready for action…
orce,
stresses A
”
dmiral Sir
Morisetti, UK Maritime Force Commander
and ammunition are required,” explains
myriad of nationalities – Dutch, Danes,
James Bur
nell-N
and, for the duration of this exercise, the
Admiral Morisetti. “The question is: will
Italians, Germans, Britons – follow the
40 Commando go fi shing, overleafmarina
Commander-in-Chief Fleet,
ugent,
Allied naval supremo.
Country A trust Country B to provide their
movements of friend and foe. Fittingly,
Maritime Com
ponent
“I don’t think I’ve ever had fi ve task
logistical support?”
there’s a copy of the book Band of
Commander and, f
groups under my command before,”
The Royal Marines at least have innate
Brothers lying on a table alongside
sak
or the
e of this three-p
says the admiral, undaunted. “There
support in the form of RFAs Largs and
a chart.
exercise, in ov
rong
ed
erall c
are a lot of ships out there. It’s a great
Mounts Bays.
The response f
harg
e.
opportunity and, for the Royal Navy, this
Two companies of green berets of 40
expected to mov
orce is
e en masse
is an environment we don’t often operate
at fi v
e to 30 da
ys’ notice,
in.”
and sustain itself on an
Flagship Ark Royal and her sister
operation f
or at least 30
Illustrious, providing the air-ground
days.
punch courtesy of her Harriers But before the f
from the Naval Strike Wing, were
mov
orce can
e an inc
h, ho
obviously high-value targets
needs the authorisati
weve
r, it
for the enemy.
of all 26 N
on
ATO nations
German frigate FGS
– trul
y a c
halleng
Sachsen attempted to slip
diplomats.
e for the
through the screen of warships Getting 26 countries
mustered around Illustrious by
to ag
ree on an
ything is
night to attack the flat-top...
tricky
, but when it comes
only to be spotted by the
to potential con
fl ict,
eyes in the sky of 849
diffi culties
the
multipl
y
But, on the plus side,
.
the NRF is committed then
if
it does so with the authority
of 26 of the world’s most
powe
rful and in
fl uential
nations.
● HMS Manchester follows RFA Largs Bay and Mounts Bay under the Great Belt Bridge between
Sweden and Denmark as seen from HMS Albion
Picture: LA(Phot) Dan Hooper, HMS Albion
0025-027_NN_Jul.indd 125-027_NN_Jul.indd 1 118/6/07 08:50:018/6/07 08:50:01
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